Broken
by YAJJ
Summary: Everyone of his pokemon could see it. Ever since that stupid Naps had to bring his Shadow Teddiursa. If he hadn't, he wouldn't be bad. He wouldn't do this thing to himself, they were sure. So, they call the only person in the world who can help, they hope
1. Chapter 1

**_Broken_**

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.

_Nightmare_

_"Vaporeon! No, no, no! Pidgeo-"_

_A large bird crashed into the ground, breaking her neck and wing._

_The faithful Vaporeon was sent to that hole in the ball-like building structure, and she tumbled down into the lake of lava below. _

"_Please, don't!"_

_The old man's pokemon attacked the last living thing of their trainer's opponent- the human opponent himself. _

_The human screamed as the Tauros attacked, it's horns piercing cloth, skin, and finally all the way out of his back. _

* * *

Michael screamed as he sat up from his horrid slumber, shaking severely. He felt sick, as usual. Sick with himself, sick of the world, and sick of the stupid nightmare! He glanced around, and sighed in relief when he saw his pokemon surrounding him.

They hadn't died in the battle, and, unfortunately, neither had he.

Vaporeon snuggled against his side, making him look at her, and scoot away. He glanced around. Pidgeot was sitting on his headboard, fast asleep. All the pokemon that could fit in his room were asleep.

Good.

He climbed out of bed, opened the door, and headed for the kitchen. He had to get the bad feeling out of him.

The kitchen was empty; it was very late at night, after all. He felt his way over to the knife drawer and opened it. He pulled out a steak knife. He ran his thumb along the blade, letting it slice him momentarily. He sighed, and stiffened when he heard, "Don't do something stupid. Put the knife down."

He lifted the knife, and prepared to defend against the strange intruder. He spun around, baring the knife as a weapon. "Who are you, and what do you want?" he snapped, but relaxed when he saw what he did.

A man with sandy blonde hair stood their, completely weaponless. In fact, the only things he could use to defend himself were the two pokemon at his feet, neither of them hardly paying attention. The fiercer looking one dipped his head and brought himself to lie down. The gentler one turned to lick some dirt from her haunches. The man had gold eyes, with platinum sunglasses resting on his head.

"Whoa, whoa, relax. I'm not gonna hurt you. My… my name's Wes, and I'm here to help. Now _please_ put down the knife, Michael. I know that you're hurting. And I know what you do to yourself. And if you cut yourself this time, it could be your last! Don't you see? You'll kill yourself if you keep this up!"

* * *

Okay, so I know that it's not very long, but this is just the start of this story! This is supposed to be really sad. So sorry if it's not… Anyway, I came up with this about two days ago playing this game on FB, so I continued playing it, and every time I did I thought of this story and eventually I _had_ to publish it. I hope you like it! ;) Please remember to review!

With love…

Ja ne! :-)


	2. Chapter 2

_**Broken**_

Disclaimer: Still don't own pokemon.

* * *

Michael _laughed_. "Kill myself? So what? I'll do the world a favor! I wish I could _die_!" he insisted.

The man- Wes- approached, his pokemon stayed where they were. "No, you won't. You don't understand how many people and pokemon you'll hurt. What about your pokemon?"

The two pokemon- Umbreon and Espeon- glanced up when they heard rustles. Michael's pokemon had awoken to find him gone, and now they were curious.

"My pokemon? They can go back to where they're actually happy! I don't want them to be where they'll only be hurt! They're… worse for wear here." Michael said, turning away to glare at the photo on the wall. One of his mother, himself- smiling-, and his little sister Jovi. His Eevee sat on his head.

Wes stared at him, dumbfounded. "You know, I think they'd rather stay here with you. Look at them, do they look worse for wear? Do they look unhappy?" he asked, throwing his arm out in the pokemon's direction.

Michael sent one glance at them before looking away. He didn't respond.

"Michael?"

"Well they _should be_!"

Besides Michael, everyone in the room jumped back in surprise. Vaporeon wanted to run over and engulf her trainer in a hug, to show him her love for him, and that she would never be unhappy as long as he was around. She would, too, if she hadn't gotten the feeling that would hurt more than help.

"No, no, they shouldn't be. Michael, you've treated them better than you treat yourself! You don't let anyone see it, but you do." Wes said, sighing and rubbing his forehead. He glanced at the group of pokemon. Several of them looked worried, frightened, and hurt as they stared at Michael's now shaking form. "Your Vaporeon is asking to know what's wrong with you," he said, and continued when he saw the question in Michael's near-dead eyes. "My Espeon is psychic, she can tell me what other pokemon are saying. And your Vaporeon-"

"Yeah, yeah, I heard! I _know_ she wants to know what's wrong with me, but that isn't a good question… where to start? How about 'what isn't wrong with me'. That should be easier." Michael said.

Wes frowned, watching the child's breathing become uneven and shaky, watching him hold the knife tighter, and then loosening his grip, and then squeezing it tighter, and loosening, and so on. "No one ever said that there was actually something wrong with you. You're just a little confused." He said.

Wes's Espeon put her tail around Vaporeon gently as tears fell from the pokemon's black, hurting eyes. She had known something was wrong; that was why she and all of Michael's other pokemon had called in the only person that could help. But she had in the mean time done nothing to help him. And now he was hurting to a seemingly unfixable extent.

"I'm _not_ confused! Okay? I was _bad_, I'm a failure! Would you _look_ at what I _did_? All of those poor pokemon…" Michael said.

"You _saved _all of those poor pokemon!" Wes insisted, finally fully approaching the hurting boy. He gripped the boy's wrist, making him hiss in pain and try to escape. "I think that you need to come with me for a minute. Now put _down_ the _knife_. You aren't helping anyone by hurting yourself." He said, yanking the teen.

The knife escaped his grasp, and he was tugged along angrily. "No! No, let me go, you don't understand!"

Wes dragged Michael outside. No one tried to stop him except for Michael himself. He stopped beside the water fixture, and spun him around. "I understand a lot better than you know. I went through the same horrors that you are, and I am _not_ letting you go through them anymore." He hissed.

Michael shook his head desperately. "I was _bad_! I didn't trust my pokemon! I thought that they were dead! And I have to… I have to get the bad out!" he said.

"You weren't bad! That is very common! It's not that you didn't trust them, it's that your imagination is going a little haywire." Wes explained. He leaned back against the bar that was on the outside of the path. He pulled the child to him.

Nervously, Michael leaned forward on the bar, staring into the water of the pond, wanting to jump in and drown himself just a tiny bit. "No, I…" he didn't know what to say. So he figured that asking a question couldn't be worse. He was already too far in the wrong to come back, right? "How do you know who I am? Or better yet, how do you know what I do to myself?" he asked.

At that, Wes smiled. "who _doesn't_ know who you are? You saved the entire _region_ from the single worst syndicate in the world. You've saved the lives of tens of hundreds of people and pokemon. And, to answer your other question, I've been watching you since you captured Teddiursa. I've watched every single cut you made. And I could only come when you called for help. You, or more specifically, your pokemon."

Michael's eyebrows raised. "My pokemon called you?" he asked.

"Yes, they did. They knew that you were hurting, and so they called the only person who knows and understands what it is that you're going through." Wes explained, staring into the water, watching the reflection of the moon.

Michael positioned himself more comfortably. "oh… you said… that you understand…"

"Yes. I understand why you do this," Wes said, reaching over and tugging on the sleeve of the redhead's pajamas, revealing dozens of nasty scars. He ran his thumb over each one. Michael seemed uncomfortable that he was touching them, finally just tugging his arm away and looking around, afraid someone had seen his wrongness. "One for every capture, hnn? And one for every nightmare." Wes continued, glancing at Michael's face. Tears started to drip from the redhead's face.

"Well… I had to get the bad out somehow, right? I was _stealing_ from all of those trainers. I stole some of their pokemon, and now they're in a living hell. If they weren't so determined to stay I'd send them back." Michael whispered.

Wes rolled his sleeves back. "I understand where you're coming from, but that's not the right way! You're hurting not just yourself but others as well." He gently rested his hand on top of Michael's, squeezing it anxiously.

It was almost like a signal to him. Michael gripped Wes's wrist and turned his arm over. There, just like on Michael's, were scars. "Is this what you mean?" he asked.

Wes glanced down at his own scars. "You heard of the Shadow Incident about six years ago, right? How there was a man that was capturing Shadow pokemon and purifying them and using them to stop the progression of the evil Cipher?" he said.

Michael nodded, his eyes still on Wes's scars. "You had to get the bad out too, right? That's why you… cut…" he whispered, more tears flooding his eyes and spilling over. He lifted his arm to wipe them away desperately.

"Yeah. Something along those lines. So I _know_ what it's like. And I know that I cannot allow you to live with those horrors until you die. That's why I'm here." Wes said, shaking his head and sighing.

Michael sat, silent and still, for just a few moments. Then he piped up, "They don't look recent. Either you got all the bad out, or someone made you stopped. The bad doesn't stop… who made you?"

Wes grinned at the question. "My best friends in the world. I had to tell them what I was doing to myself, and… they told me that they would die for me. That really didn't help me at firt, but then… they said that they knew I would do the same. I don't know how, but it was what I needed to hear, and I stopped having nightmares, and it was like I had taken a shower. The bad washed away, like dirt. It felt really nice, now that someone knew and would be willing to help. I actually stopped. I threw the knife into the deepest body of water I could find, and didn't have to think that I was alone or unwanted anymore." He glanced down into Michael's eyes, and reached up a hand to brush the tears away. "And I want you to be able to feel the same way."

That seemed to do it. For the first time, Michael had a father figure, right there, able to talk to him about things no one else could know about. His shoulders started to shake, his tears came in a torrent and blurred his vision, and for the first time since before Citadark Isle, he cried.

Wes pulled him to him, knowing that this was necessary, especially for one so young. He rubbed his back and rocked him.

Michael latched onto him immediately, like a leech. He didn't care; he needed his sort of release. He needed to cry. And he had a bad feeling that he would end up doing a lot of that.

Wes pet his head and back, trying to shush him, but he did allow him to cry. Finally, after a while of rocking and petting and sobbing, Michael fell asleep in Wes's arms, and for the first time in a long time, he slept in peace. Wes was debating whether or not to bring him inside, but soon decided that he should before he froze. He lifted him a little, and was about to carry him in, when he heard the stopping of a very large pokemon. He glanced up, and smiled, now choosing to carry the child over to his herd of pokemon that were too large to fit inside.

* * *

How was that? Better? C'mon people, please review! Please! :'( I didn't think that this story was bad... at all, really... Fine, whatever. Just please, please review!

With love...

Ja ne! :-)


	3. Chapter 3

_**Broken**_

Special thanks to: _mysticpurple6_: Excellent question! That was just a flashback-type nightmare! So no! Haha :) Anyway thanks :)  
_Star_: Thanks, I will try :)  
_weatherprophetK_: Every time I read your review I laugh :) Thanks, I've noticed that there aren't many of those, don't understand why. And 1) no. 2) Mostly just Michael's family, I don't know who else to add DX maybe you have an idea. 3) Who doesn't know the muffin man? (this is the part that makes me giggle)

Disclaimer: still don't own pokemon

Pokemon speech: _"italics"_

* * *

While Wes led Michael outside, Espeon and Umbreon gently shouldered Vaporeon back to Michael's room, the rest of them following closely behind. Vaporeon could hardly stand; what kind of a pokemon was she if she let her trainer get this bad? So bad that he thought that any of them would ever want to leave? She finally collapsed to her stomach right beside Michael's bed.

Delcatty and Houndoom, her two best friends besides Michael, approached her, worried. Houndoom gently nosed her ear, and Delcatty purred into her side.

Vaporeon watched them through half-lidded eyes. _"…How could I have ever let him get so bad? What kind of a best friend am I?"_ she breathed. She pressed her nose to the floor.

Houndoom and Delcatty lay down on either side of her. _"Honey,"_ Delcatty purred, pressing her soft body to the pokemon's blue fur, _"I don't know if you noticed, but we, too, let him get this far,"_ she pressed her face to the side of Vaporeon's, _"You are no more at fault than we are."_

Houndoom's deep, rumbly voice came next. _"Yeah. We've been watching over him for a year now, we all knew that there was something wrong with him; we could have stopped it if we wanted to, or if we could have. I guess we never really realized just how bad it was."_ He assured her.

Vaporeon's black eyes flickered between her two best friends. She sniffed. _"Then why didn't we?"_ she asked.

Houndoom rested his head on his paws and sighed. Delcatty flickered her ears around nervously, and turned away. Neither had an answer.

Espeon hovered over the three protectively, like a mother. After all, she would always have a duty to protect all of the other eeveelutions, like herself and Umbreon. Umbreon went around explaining to the pokemon why Wes had to have this talk with Michael. He came to a stop besides the trio, and sighed. He leaned down, and purred, _"well, you were better off than we were."_

Vaporeon glanced up, surprised. _"What do you mean by that?"_

Espeon smiled, a sad smile, but a smile nonetheless. _"well, you know when we figured out that Wes was doing that to himself? You know when we truly figured out that something was really wrong?"_ she asked.

Houndoom shook his head. His curiosity spiked; he felt like a pup.

"_Not until the day he chose to tell us. We knew that something was wrong, but we didn't know he was hurting himself."_ Umbreon spoke calmly. All three of them detected a hint of sadness in his voice. Well, more than a hint.

"_I'm sorry."_ Delcatty purred sadly.

Umbreon shrugged. _"What's past is past. I wish that we had gotten to him sooner, but there's nothing that we can do now."_

Houndoom licked his jaws. _"Yeah… I suppose…"_

Softly, Espeon pressed her nose to Houndoom's forehead. _"Trust me. When the time comes, you'll know what to do."_ She assured.

No one did much until nearly an hour later, probably, when the door opened, and Wes walked in, alone.

Immediately, Espeon jumped up and trotted to her wonderful trainer, running her whiskers along his leg and once again claiming her trainer as her own and letting the whole world know.

Vaporeon jumped to her feet. _"Where's my Michael? What'd you do to him?"_ she snapped.

Wes looked at Espeon, and she quickly translated, making the older Snagger smile. "He fell asleep, actually, so I handed him to Snorlax and the others outside. I think he's sleeping _on_ Snorlax, actually." He said. The thought made his smile grow happier.

The trio, and all the pokemon in the room, were stunned. He hadn't hardly fallen asleep so fast in a long time. Months, actually, as his depression got worse. Still, Delcatty had a smile on her lips, a small one, and Houndoom could hardly hold back a short, cheerful chuckle, before standing.

Wes's eyes softened. "Why don't you sleep with him tonight. He'll need your help in the long run." He said, waving his hand out of the door.

At first, several of them seemed nervous, but they left nonetheless, Vaporeon, Delcatty, and Houndoom being the last, just to turn back and smile at the Snagger.

Wes retraced his steps to the kitchen, staring at the ground and every other thing in the building as he passed it. Umbreon and Espeon paced behind him. He stopped at the _real_ causer of the scars. Not Michael, certainly not Michael, and not even the Snag Machine. No, it was the dreaded knife that Michael used every time to just get away. He stooped, and picked it up, turning it over in his hands.

Umbreon put his paws on his trainer's arms, and leaned down to sniff at the dreaded thing. He cringed as a disgusting, strong scent, so strong he could taste it, filled his nostrils.

Wes laughed at him, a dry laugh. "Why in the world would you want to sniff _that_?" he asked, standing fully. He pocketed it.

"_What are you going to do with that?" _Espeon asked nervously.

"I'll tell you that when I figure it out. C'mon, let's go see what they did with Michael," Wes said. Umbreon and Espeon both jumped up and led their trainer out.

Once they escaped the stuffiness of the building, Vaporeon dashed to the front of her group, and she led them to the herd of varying pokemon outside. At the top of the hill that the lab rested on, they could see Lugia crouched over something lovingly and they could see all of the pokemon were gathered there. She raced ahead to see if she could help her wonderful trainer. _"Michael!"_ she cried.

The boy didn't respond from where he was, on top of Snorlax. Snorlax glanced at her, and smiled, putting his finger to his mouth to hush her. The group realized that it was true; Michael had fallen asleep.

Vaporeon's eyes softened, and she leapt up on top of Snorlax. She crept to Michael where he was curled, in the center of Snorlax's stomach. She sniffed his neck, before laying down and curling up beside him, back-to-back. Houndoom, Delcatty, and several of the other pokemon jumped up and curled by him as well, any sharp or semi-sharp object tucked safely away. Vaporeon glanced up when she heard paw and footsteps, and saw Wes approaching. She smiled at him. _"Thank you so much for taking care of him. We couldn't do it without you."_

Espeon translated for Wes, and he smiled. "Don't thank me. I'm only doing my job. I'll be here when he wakes up. His family will need to know, and they'll be the ones to really help him. Trust me. Good night." He said.

Vaporeon smiled, purred, _"good night,"_ and tucked her head against Michael's back, soon falling asleep.

Wes smiled again, and led his pokemon deeper into the forest, only hoping for the best. He'd be there tomorrow to help where he could, but it had to be Michael to really make everything right. He knew that much. He'd _dealt _with that much.

* * *

Wow… this is one of my favorite chapters, just cause I like doing pokemon POVs. :) So, I hoped you liked it. I love all of the pokemon, especially Vaporeon, I hope that you do to. Just to be sure, to have it in writing (I don't want to change my mind suddenly) WES WILL BE STAYING THERE FOR A WHILE! Okay, it's all good now :) Please review! :3

With love…

YAJJ


	4. Chapter 4

**_Broken_**

Special thanks to: _The-Sun-Princess_: Do you want the truth? Probably not. I really have no idea, but I wanted this to be a thing with just Wes and Michael (and their pokemon, of course) so I didn't plan on putting her in here. Let's just say that. She'll probably be mentioned a few times as Wes' 'friend'. Or maybe lover :) I like putting them together. So yeah, I don't think that she'll actually be seen in here, maybe once or just a quick e-mail. I don't know.

_Blood Shifter2_: Thanks thanks and more thanks :)

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon at all.

* * *

Michael could barely keep his eyes open after they'd opened for the first time. He could hardly remember what happened, because for the first time in a long time, he'd slept with his larger pokemon. In fact, for the first time in a long time, he'd _slept_.

He felt himself rise up and down in time. He could feel something against his back. And, he could feel the almost otherworldly _warmth_ of a lot of somethings.

And finally, he could hear someone talking. He recognized the flitty yet deep voice of Lugia, the voice that every big flier had. And Vaporeon, of course, her silky smooth voice practically sang to him. Houndoom and Delcatty both sounded like they were going to fall asleep on their paws. Ampharos had her usual spark in everything that she said. She kind of sounded angry. It must have been at him, he figured.

Persian was purring in a way that only he could manage, loudly yet sweetly. Kanghaskan sounded so sweet, the way that she spoke, that Michael almost missed when, after having nightmares, she would hum him to sleep.

Finally his eyes pried open out of curiosity as two foreign voices spoke. He yawned, stretched, and finally sat up.

He had been asleep. On top of Snorlax. Lugia was bent over him, kind of surprised, but still looking happy. Vaporeon was next to him, a smile on her jowls. Houndoom was on his other side, lying on his stomach, his eyes hardly staying open. Delcatty's head was nuzzled into his side. Ampharos even looked angry. She sniffed sharply, and turned off, looking as though she were about to cry.

Persian smiled. He stood, approached, and licked Michael's cheek. He purred against him. Kanghaskan, who was with her baby on the ground next to Snorlax, seemed to have been watching him impatiently, waiting for him to awake. The two foreign voices were two dog-like pokemon- an Espeon and an Umbreon. They were in front of Vaporeon, speaking to her. "_Well good morning, Michael._" The Espeon said. "Um um_bre_on." The Umbreon informed.

Suddenly, Michael remembered who they were. "You're Wes's pokemon, aren't you? He didn't stay, did he?"

Umbreon put on an annoyed look, and repeated, "Um um_bre_on." This time, Espeon chose to translate. "_He said that Wes is inside. Your mother isn't happy that we came here in the middle of the night. Wes is trying to explain to her, but it'll have to be you, sweetie._"

Michael bit his lip, and nodded. "Yeah…" he said.

Espeon smiled at him. She sat, and waited for him to slide down Snorlax's belly to the ground. Then, she brushed him softly with her tail, pushing him forward.

Michael watched the ground, his emerald eyes closed, just feeling the ground as he was used to it, knowing what was where and how far it was from the next thing. His eyes opened once, if only to clarify that what he was about to say was to Espeon, and then managed, his voice cracked and quiet, "What's wrong with Ampharos?"

Espeon smiled up at him softly, wincing when he looked away. "_She…_ _she's upset. Michael, all of your pokemon just realized that you, the child who saved them from the life of being a Shadow Pokemon, has been hurting himself and blaming himself for their misfortune. Everyone's a little upset, I think, but Vaporeon recently told me that Ampharos tends to be a little over-emotional._"

"But _why_? I mean, who cares about what happens to me? As soon as I'm out of the way, they can go back to where they belong; they can be _wild pokemon!_"

"_But that's not what they want. And please, hun, don't say that. It sounds like you want to… to kill yourself. For real._" Espeon explained softly.

Michael turned away from her. Tears filled his eyes again as he stayed silent- more silent than he had in a while.

"_Michael_?" one glance up at him told Espeon the most horrid of all things; even Umbreon was disgusted by what Michael was non-verbally telling them. "_Michael! You didn't honestly… you weren't going… Don't you realize all of the people that care about you? It was bad enough with Wes just cutting himself, he never actually __**wanted**__… he never __**planned**__… oh, honey…_"

"_I_ didn't plan either. I was just… sometimes, when the nightmares got bad enough and I saw them all here, suffering… sometimes it took everything that I had to not just end it _right there_… It's hard…" Michael hugged himself softly as one tear silently fell from his eyes to the ground.

Umbreon sighed. He turned to Espeon and whispered something into her ear. She frowned and leapt ahead of them both. "_Yes, Umbreon, you're right, I suppose. Let's go._" She glanced at Michael and tears filled her eyes. She turned, bit back one single bark of pain, and took off toward the lab.

Another silent tear dropped onto Michael's cheek. He followed them less quickly. 'Great. Now even _Espeon's_ disgusted with me. Guess I shouldn't be surprised…'

Umbreon yelped in surprise when the woman- who was obviously Michael's mother, rushed out of the door, her Blissey following. She screamed when she saw them, pointed, and cried, "Blissey! Soft-Boiled!"

The Blissey cried out with strength, and pulled an egg from her pouch, where another quickly grew. She grabbed that one and chucked them at the two dogs. Not even Espeon could react quickly enough.

"Vaporeon! _Water Gun_!"

"Vapoor!"

A jet of water suddenly forced the two eggs backwards with an angry force, flying over Blissey and Michael's mother Lily and finally crashing- and putting two holes- into the wall behind them.

"Would you let me explain, woman?"

Espeon and Umbreon yipped their thanks, and rushed to go meet their trainer.

Michael stood at the bottom of the stairs, looking horrified, still pointing up where Vaporeon's attack had been aimed. His heart was pounding and his breathing was short. Vaporeon was faithfully by his side, growling a little. A small puddle of water had formed at her feet from excess spray. She stopped growling, blinked, and finally relaxed. She stretched her back legs and sat, rubbing her head against Michael's leg.

And it nearly broke Michael's heart when she put on an offended look as he stepped away. 'Can't I stop hurting her?'

Lily spun around and screamed when Wes left the door of the lab, following her closely. She rushed over to her boy and spun around in front of him. "Blissey!"

Blissey snarled and took out two more eggs, posing as a threat to the man with his pokemon.

Wes held his hands up as soon as she did. His heart pounded anxiously. "Listen to me, ma'am, I am not here to harm your daughter, your son, you, your pokemon, or anyone else here. I'm trying to _help_ your boy get over something that he has been dealing with for a long time. And I- hey! Yeow- Espeon!"

"Espee!" Espeon's psychic attack flew at the eggs that Blissey had thrown.

"Would you quit _lying_? How would _you_ know that something is wrong with him when I haven't noticed a thing?"

"Look at him now, does he look like the little boy that you knew- even just before Teddiursa?"

Lily flashed her gaze down to her son, who was standing idly, as though waiting for someone to tell him what to do. Lily thought that he looked very much like… like what a _pokemon_ in battle looks like. Waiting for some command. "Of course not- that was a lot of stress for a 13 year old to be put through. But he's a strong child!"

Michael bit back what looked like a sob. Vaporeon, not about to allow him to get away this time, wrapped herself around him and purred.

"Of _course_ he is, but he had to fight that alone. For him to be alone besides his pokemon- no human contact- very well could have been what could have done him in. That, Lily, was a lot for him to go through alone. He's quieter isn't he?"

"He was always a quiet boy."

"When was the last time that he came up to _you_, and asked how _your_ day was, and initiated any form of contact to you, Jovi, or anyone in that lab? Even to his pokemon?" Wes snarled.

Lily blinked at him. Her heart was pounding, but she glanced back at Michael behind her, whose fists were clenched. When _was_ the last time? "I… I don't know… a year? At least to me." she offered. She hadn't noticed it before, but it was a long time since they'd communicated at all. Normally she made a point to chat with him, but lately she'd been busy. Very busy.

"That's what I thought. Don't you think it weird at all?"

"I never noticed before…"

Wes put his hands on his hips. "Obviously. Now, Michael, is there… oh?" he knelt when Espeon tugged on his pant leg. Espeon leaned forward and whispered into his ear. At first his expression was calm but confused, but Michael knew he was screwed when the man's eyebrows shot up and horror filled his eyes.

As soon as Wes' head shot up, Michael covered his gorgeous emerald eyes to avoid eye contact. His thin shoulders shook softly as he heard Wes' scratchy voice whisper, "Oh, Michael…"

* * *

Bad ending! Sorry all! I just wanted to _finally_ update this thing! Thanks for everyone who's waited this out! And thanks for reading! Please review!

~YAJJ :-)


	5. Chapter 5

**_Broken_**

Summary: Everyone of his pokemon could see it, ever since that stupid Naps had to bring that sweet little Shadow Teddiursa… if he hadn't, he wouldn't be bad, and he wouldn't do this to himself.

A/N: Answering reviews via PM. :D And yes, I realize dogs don't purr. For this sake, Vaporeons do.

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.

* * *

Lily crooned in confusion at her son, watching the little exchange. "What?" she demanded of the man that had spoken. "What is it?"

Wes turned to her and sighed softly. He pushed past her and set his hand on Michael's shoulder, closing his eyes as Michael jerked away as though in pain. Vaporeon's throat vibrated against his calf as she purred. "Michael, you need to talk to me. I'm only trying to help. Remember? Remember last night? Everything that you told me?" he asked.

Michael shook his head, crossing his arms and attempting to turn away.

"Don't lie, Michael, I know you do." Wes scolded softly.

"So what if I do?" Michael finally spat. Though, his eyes spoke volumes compared to what he'd spoken. They spoke of pleas for forgiveness, they spoke of the horrible truth, they spoke of the worst wrong that could have happened.

Wes lifted the boy's chin, to fully look into his eyes. "Michael, you have to speak to me. I need to know, is what Espeon just told me true? And you know what she told me. Don't pretend you don't." he said.

"What did Espeon tell you?" Lily asked, worry replacing the previous anger that had flooded her being.

Wes held up his hand for silence, and crouched. He coaxed to Michael, waiting for the answer.

Michael simply glanced up at his mother once, and then back at Wes, green eyes meeting hard gold ones. "I can't tell her. She can't know. Or Jovi." He whimpered.

Wes thought through what he said. Was there anyway that he could avoid telling the man? No, he didn't think so. "Will you tell me?"

Michael hugged himself, waited a few seconds as though doing exactly what Wes had done. Then, he nodded.

"Everything?"

"Everything." Michael repeated.

Wes crossed his arms, sighed, and stood. "Alright. But you'll have to tell her eventually, you realize, you can't just avoid it forever. And I think your pokemon deserve to know." He said.

Michael nodded. "I know. Practice."

Ah… he was practicing telling his mother on Wes.

Well, if it was anything, it was kind of sweet. Strange, but sweet.

"Practice for _what_? What does my son have to tell me? And more important, why does he have to tell _you_ first? He's _my son_!" Lily cried, stamping her foot angrily.

"Patience. You'll know soon." Wes assured calmly. He set a hand on Michael's shoulder and pushed him forward. He then patted Lily's arm, squeezing reassurance into her. "Is there anywhere that we can talk privately? I don't think he'll even tell _me_ if he knows that someone else is listening in." he asked.

Liyl eeped at the innocent squeeze. She turned to her son, who was watching the floor with blank eyes. "…Yes. My ex-husband's office. It's sealed, just for this kind of thing. I… can lead you."

And with that, Lily led the man that she had previously been chasing out of the house back into it. She pushed open a hidden door on the first floor. "In here. In you go, darling." Lily cooed, coaxing Michael inside. Michael, his eyes still lowered to the ground, went inside without reply. Lily slid in front of the door before Wes could follow. "If you hurt him," she snarled, unable to think of what to say. Finally, her little Quagsire appeared behind him. "I'll sic Quagsire on you. He'll kill you if I want him to."

Wes held his hands up in mock-defeat. "I'm here to fix him, not break him more. Don't worry; he'll be fine when we come out. Besides, even if I wanted to—which I don't!—Vaporeon wouldn't let me near him."

Vaporeon's ears pricked at the mention of her name. She snuggled against Michael's leg.

Softly, Wes pushed Lily aside. "He'll be fine. I promise. And then, soon, he'll tell you everything." He said. He went inside the room, grabbed the knob of the door, and closed it. Seconds later, she heard the _click_ of the lock sliding shut.

Wes slid into the seat at the opposite end of the table, watching Michael's nervous movement. The boy was fidgeting unnecessarily, and somehow, this amused Wes. "You don't have to be so nervous." He scolded.

Michael glanced up, and then back down. His hand settled on Vaporeon's head, and he seemed to find comfort in the feeling of her naturally slimy fur passing beneath his slightly shaky hand. He didn't reply.

Wes leaned back in his chair and watched the boy. He glanced down at Umbreon and Espeon, who were waiting for Michael to explain, curled up around each other lovingly.

"Michael?"

"Do I have to?" Michael suddenly asked, green eyes turned up to watch him. Wes was surprised by how deep they were. The man chuckled at him a little, _finally_ seeing the little child in him come out full force. The one that he'd been forced to give up when Professor Krane had been kidnapped, and every moment afterwards. "Yes, you have to. Just start from the beginning, and take your time." He said.

Michael watched him, still unsure, and ducked his head. "Kay." He took a few extra seconds to regain his bearings, sighed, and started. "I guess it started when Naps attacked me and my Eevee with his Shadow Teddiursa. At first, I didn't feel bad or anything that I was going to catch it… you know, since Professor Krane told me to, and I was going to save him, and I was going to stop anyone from ever taking anyone that I cared about. I mean, that's how I felt. I captured it, then, and I still didn't feel bad. More than that, I was excited. For years I'd only had Eevee, and now I had someone else, this cute little Teddiursa that I had no idea how to take care of or fix, a new playmate for Eevee and for Jovi. That… intrigued me, so after that, I didn't feel bad.

"It was too late for me to go out to save the professor, so Mom made me stay here that first night. I was doing everything that I could to get Teddiursa to open up, but everything that I did… well, it wouldn't work. It was like his heart would always be glued shut. I hadn't realized it, but it felt like my own heart had started to close like that. It felt like something had clogged my mind and my heart and my soul and everything about me.

"It had been an accident the first time. I promise. Mom asked me to help cut some vegetables that night and the stupid knife slipped. There wasn't a whole lot of blood but… something about it almost felt good. Like with the blood, all of whatever had been clogging me came out. And then I thought about Teddiursa, and I thought that maybe he'd loved that man, like Eevee did me and Plusle and Mimi did Jovi. _Then_ I started feeling really bad." Michael whimpered when he felt Vaporeon's claws dig into his foot. An accident, he was sure, because Vaporeon realized it and brushed against him, purring harder and louder than before.

Wes' eyes softened at him.

"After that, every time that I stole a pokemon from their trainer, I felt that cloggy feeling again, and I didn't like that. My habit of despising seeing anyone that I cared about hurt, and this want to get the clog out kind of mixed together, so I think that one too many times, I threw myself in front of an attack. It didn't get the whole feeling out, but it helped. And it kept them safe."

Vaporeon whined in emotional pain, not ever realizing that it may have started because of her, because she'd let him take an attack. Never on purpose. She never once hid behind him because she _knew_ that attacks hurt humans more than they did pokemon. Pokemon were better suited to being attacked. Humans… they were only little mushy creatures that were good at planning and giving out orders. And easy to love.

"After I caught Delcatty, I started having nightmares. That was the first time that Vaporeon had been defeated, and it frightened me. She always seemed like an unstoppable force. Seeing her like that… I felt weak and vulnerable. So after that nightmare, even though I'd brought the professor back safe and sound, I gave myself two cuts. One for daring to capture Delcatty from her trainer, and the other for not trusting any of my other pokemon enough that I didn't have that nightmare."

"Michael, our subconscious makes up dreams and nightmares. You were worried about her, so?" Wes said, shaking his head.

"I know. But I was still scared." Michael replied feebly. He released a shaky sigh, and frowned suddenly. "On the S.S. Libra, when I got the Snag Machine stolen, I was kind of glad. Maybe I could give up my adventure there, let someone else take over. I couldn't steal anymore pokemon and put them through what I'd put the others through. But…"

"You went to get it back."

Michael nodded. "I still felt bad again, but it wasn't that cloggy feeling. The Snag Machine was something that my mother and Professor Krane had worked hard on, and if they saw that it was actually stolen, they'd have been madder than a Tauros with its tails stepped on. I made a point not to go home for _anything_ until I got the Snag Machine back. Four pokemon were ready to be purified, did you know that? In the time that I wasn't going home, four pokemon were being hurt because I didn't want to get yelled at. _Four_ of them." He winced.

Wes lowered his head. "You know, I think that they'd be more worried about what had happened to _you_, rather than their machine." He scolded softly.

Michael shrugged. He sat up when Vaporeon hopped into his lap and curled up on him. He started stroking her back.

"I think the scariest part of the whole adventure, after everything that I went through, was Citadark Island. I'd heard stories about a lone island always surrounded by bad weather. Ever since I was little, I was terrified of having to go there. And I was stuck wandering that dumb island for days! Practically every trainer had a Shadow Pokemon that I had to catch! Most had more than one! Sleeping there made me feel like I was constantly being watched. Piloswine always covered me with rocks when I slept, so if anyone came by me they wouldn't see me, but I was all fidgety the whole time.

"Then that kindly old man that helped out my sister and I months before in Gateon Port turned out to be the same person who has been controlling Cipher this whole time. And I thought that it was _my_ fault. I exposed Jovi to him and let him battle for us. Eevee and I should have fought that Zangoose, but then _he_ did instead. He called Lugia and told me that never would I be able to purify him, so I almost figured that there was no use in capturing him, I should just defeat him. But then… my dad had supplied me with a Master Ball and I couldn't let it go. He had a better chance being purified with me than with Cipher. So I caught him, and he went to the PC Box. I think that he would have liked to battle Greevil, but I didn't know if I could control him, so I didn't.

"He was powerful—how many revives did I have to use on my pokemon? Vaporeon held out on her own, but by the end she could barely breathe. I managed to capture his Zapdos and Rhydon, but the other four, I couldn't get ahold of them. I had to go back and fight him _three more times_ before they were all captured. And _that_ scared me, because I thought that if someone came back and tried to use Shadow Pokemon, I wouldn't be able to capture them." Michael started shaking. Wes stood, intending to go and settle him, but Espeon bit his pant leg and shook her head. He sighed and dropped back into his seat.

"Jovi basically adored Lugia, and most of the others. She loved being able to pet them and groom them, and they liked being able to take care of her and protect her. At least… I think so." Michael glanced down at Vaporeon, who offered a fierce nod. "But I was scared to let her near them. Mom said that it might be good for them, to see her gentle heart. It might open their hearts further. But I didn't want her to get hurt. And no matter how many times I asked her to stay away from them, I would find her cuddling with them and asking them how their days were. But that's just kind of Jovi."

Wes nodded in agreement. He'd met the girl once; when he'd woken in the forest, she was there, and she immediately went to his pokemon and started babbling, apparently not caring who he was.

"And then… Dragonite. I fought Miror B. _five times_ before I caught him. He was really tough. The last time, he came here and actually attacked the lab. I did everything I could to defend everyone, but someone got hurt, so I caught him. I just started… cutting. I don't know how many I did that day. But there was a lot of blood. I think that that may have been the first time that Vaporeon and everyone else realized that something was wrong. Vaporeon just didn't talk for the next few days. I thought it was my fault. I mean, it _was_."

Glancing at Vaporeon, Wes found that she felt bad for such a thing. But he understood.

Vaporeon had only just found out that he may have been hurting himself. Actually, she'd spent most of her time in the forest, attacking trees and asking herself how she could not have noticed that he hurt himself. She even slept outside.

Michael's shaking got worse. Wes stood and tugged his pant leg from Espeon's teeth. He squatted in front of Michael and took his hands, tugging them away from their clenched position in Vaporeon's fur.

Michael shook his head and tears started to fill his eyes. He squeezed the emerald orbs shut to keep the tears at bay. "I… I'm supposed to protect them, my pokemon, but I can't! And they keep lying, they _can't_ be happy there! I keep saying that they can go back to the wild or even to their trainers if they want, but they _stay_, and I don't know how to make them understand! N-not even Ledian and Mightyena are going back, they just stay here and… and they're _wrong_, they must be! They can't like it here!"

Wes tugged on Michael's wrists. Vaporeon watched him in confusion for a second, but then understood, and hopped out of her best friend's lap. Once she was down, Wes pulled Michael out of his chair.

As soon as Michael's knees hit the ground, he started babbling randomly, wanting to explain but not knowing what to say and honestly not knowing how to continue in his state. He just started crying into Wes' shirt, sobbing deeply, hiding from the rest of the world.

So, Lily couldn't hear what they were talking about. Not clearly enough to make out words, but she could hear them making sounds. And it certainly _sounded_ like talking.

But it wasn't long after that she heard crying. Something had happened oh god _what had happened_? She turned to her Quagsire who was watching her curiously, his eyes filled with worry. "Quagy, Headbutt!" she cried, pointing at the door. Quagsire's eyes narrowed. He clenched his flippers and attacked the offending object, breaking it back against the inside wall. It then fell against the floor.

Lily tore into the room, having to see what had made her son cry and why that man had hurt him and if he was okay and _gosh_ everything was just going wrong…

She paused at the sight she saw however, her heart pounding and her breathing in short gasps.

She could see her son's face, coated in tears. Just barely, though, since it was hidden. He was being cradled in that man's arms, Vaporeon purring against his back and both Umbreon and Espeon nuzzling his arms. That man—Wes, she struggled to remember—was stroking her boy's back and trying to hush him, letting him sob against him. Lily was suddenly reminded of the day that her ex-husband had left them. Michael had thrown himself into his arms and pleaded with him not to go, saying, _"Daddy, Daddy, we need you, don't go please! Jovi and me still need you, you gotta stay here! Please Daddy!"_ He'd only been seven, Jovi three and a half. His father had hugged him and shushed him, promising him that he'd be back soon.

He left then, never turning his back. He never did come back, he hadn't called for any reason, and probably didn't even care about them anymore.

So why did this remind her of her ex?

Ah yes… Wes was cradling Michael just like her ex had, all those years ago. But this time, it was for real. This time, someone cared. Lily squatted beside Wes, next to Umbreon, on his right side. "What happened?" she asked softly, not wanting to disturb her son. She could see that he needed this.

Wes turned to glance at her. He smiled and tugged at Michael, pulling him further up onto his knees. Michael went with him, curling into him, pressing his face against his collarbone. "He just wasn't going to make it through anymore. Don't worry, he isn't hurt or anything. Well… not from this. He was just a little frightened." The man assured, petting Michael's head.

"Not from… _what did you do to him_?" Lily stood, intending to kick aside Umbreon and pull her son from the man's arms. Quagsire growled, but it was only because Lily was angry. Something about the man's aura said that he was an okay guy.

"Nothing! Nothing… Don't worry about him too much. He doesn't exactly like that." Wes clutched Michael tighter, and in turn Michael sniffed and started to cease his sobbing. After a few more minutes, he relaxed against Wes, and turned up to face his mother. "Mom? It's okay. Wes' okay." He whispered.

Lily nearly wailed at the broken state of her son's voice. She fell to her knees and took one of his hands, squeezing it tightly and kissing it. He sniffed in reply.

Wes sighed. "Where's his room? I think he needs to rest. I promise you, he'll tell you everything. He just has to be ready."

Lily sniffed as well and put a hand over her stomach. She turned to look at him. "Yes… yes, it's this way. Vaporeon, you'll lead him?" she asked, turning to Michael's faithful sidekick.

Vaporeon barked in reply. She forced herself to stand on wobbly legs, watching as Espeon used her psychic powers to help Wes stand. She, Espeon, and Umbreon led the way to the house-part of the building.

Wes settled Michael onto the bed and sighed. "You feeling better?"

Michael gulped and nodded, swiping his sleeve across his face. "y-yeah. Thanks for listening." He whispered. He'd have said it a little louder if his throat didn't hurt so badly. He noticed Vaporeon hop onto his bed, and stroked her back. She purred and lay beside him, cuddling against him.

"I'll be here when you wake up. Well… somewhere around here."

"Probably playing with Jovi, if she gets a hold of you." Michael laughed.

Wes nodded, chuckling. "Oh, probably. She already got Umbreon and Espeon. I bet she'd like Plusle."

Michael nodded in agreement. He noticed his mother standing in the doorway, watching him with teary eyes. He sat up. "Mom?"

Lily hiccupped and approached, sitting beside him, stroking his bangs back. "Baby, you should go to sleep. Mama will always be here. Promise. I love you, darling."

Michael gulped once more. "Love you too." He whispered. He laid down and turned over, facing Vaporeon. He even buried his nose in her slimy fur. Only a few minutes later, he fell asleep calmly. Vaporeon copied him.

Wes held the door open for Lily as he left. He silently closed the door once she was out, flicking the light off. He offered her a wry smile.

Lily smiled back in return. Suddenly, she blushed. "Um… so I guess that I should apologize… you know, for yelling at you… and attacking you… and," Wes shook his head. "I surprised you." He replied.

Lily shrugged. "And I guess that I'd better thank you for watching out for him. You do really well with him. You almost remind me of his father. 'Cept if _he_ ever shows up, I wouldn't stop Blissey and Quagy from attacking him." She said, giggling.

Wes chuckled as well. "He left then?"

"After promising Michael that he'd come back." Lily replied, nodding.

Wes winced. "Must have been bad."

"…Actually, not really. Both Jovi and Michael seemed to understand that he was going to leave for a few weeks. They cried a little, but they don't bother to remember him anymore."

An awkward silence followed. Espeon licked Wes' hand, earning her a soft scratch behind the ears. Umbreon received one as well. Then, as though god-sent to break the awkwardness, a voice cried behind them, "Umbreon and Espeon! Mommy, that guy's still here!"

Both adults spun to find a little blue haired girl staring at them, all excited and jittery. She suddenly ran right at them. Umbreon and Espeon, understanding what she wanted, dashed off in a playful panic. Giggling, little Jovi chased after them, but only after stopping and greeting Wes.

Lily blushed again and ducked her head. "I am so sorry about her, she's excitable and she loves playing. I'll call her back. Jo!"

Wes put his hand against her mouth. "It's quite alright. Umbreon and Espeon don't seem to mind. I mean, look at them." Both were barking in laughter. "They don't get to play much. Actually, I do have a pokemon that she might like. She can play with him." He took out a pokeball and released one pokemon, who started hopping around, finally launching himself at Wes' shirt to climb up to his shoulder.

Wes pointed at Jovi, Umbreon, and Espeon and signaled to him. "Go play with them, Plusle. They want a companion."

Plusle's cheeks started sparking, and he cheered. He leapt off of Wes' shoulder and hopped toward the girl. Almost immediately, Jovi grabbed him and snuggled him. Then, she started chasing him around.

Lily's smile was rather large as she watched her daughter. She smiled up at him, and laughed. "I guess you were right."

"Told you so."

* * *

Wow, that took a long time! Actually, I finished this in a day. D: I just couldn't find anyway to start it. :/ Hopefully next time won't be so long.

And, you know, sorry for the bad ending. :) I'd planned on ending it about there, but I didn't know how. But this works just fine :)

Thanks for reading, please review!

~YAJJ


	6. Chapter 6

_**Broken**_

Ah, my plot bunnies. They're breeding once more. Rejoice!

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. ;)

* * *

"_Wes! Come, come play with us! Come, come, come, Wes!_"

Wes had to admit that he hadn't seen his pokemon so playful in years. They were running around, chasing Jovi and Plusle, giggling and begging that he or Lily come and play with them.

He was sitting out by the fountain in the front of the Pokemon HQ Lab. His Feraligatr and Quagsire and Remoraid were happily flitting about in it. Michael's Starmie and Sharpedo and Dewgong swam and played alongside them as well, nervous the whole while. His Suicune was laying in it, relaxing with each gentle wave that the six pokemon sent. Lily's Quagy was sitting beside Suicune, watching Wes' Quagsire with a kind of fondness in his eyes.

Lily was sitting with her arms behind her back, her hands supporting her, chatting with Wes. After seeing him act so gently with her little boy, she'd seemed so much more ready to trust him. She'd even, somehow, gotten _his_ Houndoom's head in _her_ lap, scratching behind his horns. He had no clue how it had happened, and didn't really want to know.

"But why can't you tell me? I mean, I'll still know, and that's what's important, right?" Lily asked him, gazing at him.

"We've gone over this, Lily. I'll lose his trust, and that's essential! I _can't_ lose his trust. And, if he's ready to tell you, then he will. You've got to give him time, Lil'. He went through a lot last year." Wes explained for the fifth time, rolling his golden eyes in exasperation. Though he could understand her irritation. Something had happened to her son that he knew about, but she didn't. It probably hurt her, at least a little.

"Well…" Lily shook her head, her beehive hairstyle rustling just enough to almost convince Wes that there may very well have been something in there…

His Skarmory squawked above him, and he glanced back just in time to notice a figure—seeming to be much smaller than it had seemed before—standing above them, watching with anxious green eyes.

Lily looked back as well. "Oh… Michael? Good afternoon, honey."

Michael nodded at her. Wes moved over and patted the ground between him and Lily invitingly. The boy, nervous for only a second, knelt between them, and then shifted so that he was cross-legged. Vaporeon settled down beside Wes, and his Ninetales flopped down ungracefully beside Lily. "Afternoon, Mom." The child muttered. He nodded at Wes.

Wes noted with amusement that Michael was still practically about to fall asleep where he sat, fighting to keep him eyes open. He was sorely tempted to ask Remoraid to shoot a small Water Gun at the boy to reawake him. "Did you sleep well?" he asked, in a poor attempt to keep the boy's eyes open and focused on something.

"Mhmm. Didn't dream or anything."

Wes knew from his own experience that that was a giant step compared to the nightmares that he used to have. "That's good. Vaporeon was with you the whole time?" he guessed.

Michael snorted and nodded, but no smile formed. "She slept longer than me, the lazy bum."

"Vay!" Vaporeon seemed to take offense to that, because she stood and shot him with a tiny Water Gun. Well, it at least seemed to wake him up. The side of Wes' mouth turned up in an innocent smirk.

Suicune glanced at him, his eyebrows raised, and barked a laugh.

Michael replied by tucking into himself.

Wes sighed heavily and turned his face into the wind. It felt nice, feeling the breeze slide across his face, practically feeling it smooth out each and every wrinkle he'd ever gotten. He jerked in surprise when Michael whispered, "yes and no." "…What?" Wes turned to look at him, and found the green eyes on him, looking deep into him.

Michael turned his head back down in embarrassment. "um… yes and no. You asked me a question earlier, but I didn't get the chance to answer, so I'm answering now. But…" his eyes shifted to look at his mother, who was watching their exchange anxiously.

"Right."

Michael nodded, glad that he understood. He tucked his hands into his lap and sighed.

Lily, too, seemed to understand what was needed. She stood and clapped her hands once, saying, "Who wants what for supper?"

Wes raised his eyebrows at her, amused. "I can just make my own stuff. Always do."

"Oh no _no_, don't trouble yourself. I'm offering, you're taking, so who wants what for supper?"

After Michael and Wes put up their offers, Lily nodded and turned to go inside. She softly stroked her son's head. "Okay, you men have a good talk now. Alright?"

"Kay."

"Yes ma'am."

Lily offered Wes a glare for the comment and went inside. Ninetales scooted over, pressing his fur against the boy. He hummed softly.

Wes glanced down at Michael, waiting for the boy to further explain what he'd said. Umbreon and Espeon came up, dead tired, and dropped down on Wes' lap. Plusle hopped into his hair. Jovi wandered inside to help her mom with supper.

Michael looked down at Ninetales, who smiled up at him and dropped his head into his lap. He scratched behind the fox's ears. "Um… yes and no. You know, about what Espeon told you earlier. The whole 'kill myself thing'."

"But what do you mean by that?" Wes asked him, looking at the boy's deep red hair.

"…I… I didn't really want to. Promise! I never actually wanted to kill myself. But… I don't really know… sometimes, watching everyone…" Michael suddenly shuttered.

Ninetales' ears went down, and his tails flopped, spreading across the path, prepared to trip any passersby. Vaporeon set her head on top of Umbreon's tail and whimpered. Dewgong surfaced out of the pond and set her head and flippers down on the ground, watching her anxious trainer. Even Wes' Plusle's ears flitted apprehensively.

"I guess that from the way I saw it, everyone was unhappy here. I didn't give them enough attention, I didn't feed them enough, everything. Maybe it was just me not wanting to think that I can do anything _good_…" Michael's gaze danced on the ground with the grass, swirling in the wind. "But nothing looked _right_. And I saw them sometimes, when one was sick probably, I would feel like it was my fault… and, even worse then normal, it was like that feeling. That _cloggy_ feeling. But it was almost like, nothing I did would make it go away. Nothing short of killing myself. But I couldn't do it. I thought it would be too much work for Mom and Jovi to take care of my pokemon. I couldn't leave them to that."

"That's the only reason you had?" Wes asked, cocking one sandy eyebrow.

"….No. I guess I'm too much of a coward to actually kill myself." Michael replied.

"Coward?" Wes' voice was filled with surprise. He scooted closer to the boy, ignoring his pokemon's cries of protest, and slung his arm around his shoulders. "Michael, you're not a coward. You're very brave, just for ignoring that kind of temptation. You're very brave, and very, very strong." He assured. He squeezed his shoulder kindly.

Michael turned his head up, deep green eyes barely peering out from under his bangs. "…Really?"

"Really."

"But-"

"No buts! Michael, you are not weak _at all_. You are not a coward _at all_. And I expect you to understand that. I'm not leaving until you repeat what I just said."

"Fine then. Don't leave." Michael scoffed.

Wes rolled his eyes and grunted. He laid back, tucking his hands beneath his head. However, he did chuckle a little at the boy's determined glare. "Just ask your pokemon; they'll tell you the same thing." He cooed softly.

Michael turned roughly away from him. He set his arms in his lap angrily. "Well… they're all so mushy, of course they will…" he said. He grimaced when Ninetales agreed with him by dragging his tongue slowly across his cheek. "But what about the people of Orre? What will _they_ say when they found out that their so-called 'hero' has been hurting himself and is too frightened of everything to stop?" he demanded, wiping away the saliva that his fox pokemon had left behind.

"No one _has_ to know, Michael. Only the people that you're comfortable telling." Wes replied softly.

"Well, what if I'm not comfortable telling anybody? What if I just want to live my life being a lonely secret keeper, and stay like that forever, because I don't want anyone to know anything about me? What then?"

Wes had to admit that he didn't expect the boy to think up such a scenario. Raising his eyebrows, he responded, "Then I feel really, really bad for you."

Michael sighed and rubbed his hands through Ninetales' fur. "…I… don't _have_ to tell anyone that I don't want to, right? Only the people that should know, right?"

Wes nodded. "Right."

"Kay… can you help?"

Wes sat up and looked at the boy, who was suddenly watching him with determination. "Help? What would I help you with? Michael, this is _your_ job, not mine." He said.

"…I don't think that I can tell Mom and Jo' on my own. I need someone there. Please? You don't even have to say anything! I'd way rather just have you_ there_, coz I know that you know what happened." Michael explained.

Wes raised his eyebrows at the boy. Finally, "you'll be speaking."

"Of course. I told you all that you need to know and I need to practice with."

"…Alright. I'll be there if you really need me." He said. From the top floor of the lab came a cheerful cry, "Boys! Supper!"

Wes' eyes softened and he stood, holding a hand out for Michael to grab hold of. He pulled the boy up. "C'mon now, let's go see what your mom's got for us."

* * *

Not as good a chapter as the last, I'll admit. But it's something, right? Right. :) Hopefully will be getting better and more... I don't know, dramatic I guess. Hopefully. :)

Please review.

~YAJJ


End file.
